Pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar added to India squad for 5th T20I vs West Indies
New Delhi: Veteran pacer has been added to the Indian squad for the fifth and final T20I of the ongoing five-match series against West Indies. The 36-year-old has been included in the team after Arshdeep Singh suffered an injury to his left shoulder while batting during the 4th T20I match in Hyderabad.
Arshdeep retired hurt after playing a few deliveries and levelled the series 2-2. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) hasn’t mentioned in a released statement whether Bhuvneshwar’s inclusion is just precautionary, since Arshdeep is still a part of the team. The Indian board has mentioned in the release that Arshdeep’s participation in the fifth T20I will be ‘based on his recovery’.
Bhuvneshwar has been out of the Indian team for the last four years and has returned to the national T20I side for the upcoming tour of after two brilliant IPL seasons with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
🚨 News 🚨
Arshdeep Singh sustains blow to bowling shoulder; Bhuvneshwar Kumar added to #TeamIndia’s squad for the Bengaluru T20I.
More Details ▶️ https://t.co/i18NeqDLrU
#INDvWI | @mflone_
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 16, 2026
The experienced pacer took 28 wickets in 16 matches at an economy rate of 7.95 in IPL 2026, playing a crucial role in helping RCB win consecutive titles. He has the ability to swing the new ball in the initial overs and execute his plans at the death, which has kept him relevant in the shortest format.
He last appeared for India in November 2022 against New Zealand and is in contention to make a comeback in the final T20I of the series, to be played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on October 17.
India’s updated T20I squad for 5th T20I vs West Indies
Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Naman Dhir, Bhuvneshwar Kumar.